38.
*Katelyn*
"You are so hyper," I told the baby in my stomach, placing a hand on the spot where she had kicked me only moments ago. "Would it kill ya to maybe not kick me for a little bit?" Regardless of all of this, I smiled. Dr. Currie had told me that it was good for the baby to kick. He said that healthy babies kicked at an average of about thirty times per hour.
"You're above average," I frequently told my unborn daughter. And I knew that she was, simply because of who she was going to grow up with. I had already pictured her at Gallagher; the best in her class, naturally.
I stared out the window, then, my thoughts a million miles away. With Joe. Zach had come home that day from the amusement park where Cammie was supposedly supposed to be vulnerable. Turns out, it was a trap and the CIA got Joe. And then, the CIA team was ambushed and the Circle kidnapped him. Zach had held me while I cried, then.
But now, he was out on a mission to rescue Joe. And I knew that he would succeed. He was taking backup, after all, and he had assured me that his plan was good. And I believed him. I knew that he would be able to get Joe out alive.
I had tried things throughout the day to try to make myself forget about it for a while, but nothing worked. I finished two of the pregnancy books that I had been reading on and off, but it didn't help. I'd done laundry and cleaned a little bit of the house and had even tried to take a nap, but nothing had worked. I'd read a book about tailing and another dedicated to vehicular surveillance techniques. I'd watched both The Bourne Identity and Greece, but nothing could take my mind off of Joe.
I stared out at the stars and sighed. The baby kicked again and I couldn't help but smile as I put a hand over my stomach again. "You're restless, too?"
I received no answer, but I decided that I didn't like the silence. So, I began to sing. "I'm ten miles from town, and I just broke down; spittin' out smoke on the side of the road. I'm out here alone, just tryin' to get home; to tell you I was wrong but you already know. Believe me, I won't stop at nothin'; to see you, so I've started runnin'."
As I sang, I could picture Joe and I dancing on our wedding night.
"All that I'm after is a life full of laughter, as long as I'm laughin' with you. I think that all that still matters is love ever after; after the life we've been through. Cause I know there's no life after you."
I could see his face so clearly; hear the words he'd said as he slid the ring onto my finger.
"Last time we talked, the night that I walked; burns like an iron in the back of my mind. I must've been high to say you and I weren't meant to be and just wastin' my time. Oh, why did I ever doubt you? You know I would die here without you. All that I'm after is a life full of laughter, as long as I'm laughin' with you. I think that all that still matters is love ever after; after the life we've been through. Cause I know there's no life after you."
I couldn't believe how much this song spoke about Joe and I.
"You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one; after this time I spent alone. It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind; thinkin' bout the better times, must've been out of my mind. So I'm runnin' back to you. All that I'm after is a life full of laughter. Without you, God knows what I'd do. Yeah… All that I'm after is a life full of laughter, as long as I'm laughin' with you. I think that all that still matters is love ever after; after the life we've been through. Cause I know there's no life after you."
I finished the song and wiped away the tear that had fallen sometime while I was singing the chorus that last time.
Just then, Zach came through the door, looking absolutely awful. His clothes were wrinkled, his face was scratched in several places, and he looked like he hadn't slept in months, even though he'd only been gone a couple of days.
"Zach!" I said, standing up as fast as I could. "Zach, what happened?"
He seemed distant, and my voice snapped him back to the present. "Katelyn…" he said in a dead sort of voice.
Oh no.
Joe.
"What happened, Zach?" I demanded of him, guiding him to sit down on the couch.
He looked at me. "We got him out."
I knew that couldn't be it. He seemed upset, not entirely happy. "But?"
He sighed and looked away form me. "There was an explosion."
I felt a sense of dread. "An explosion?"
Zach nodded. "I got Joe out and took him to the infirmary at Gallagher."
"He's alive," I breathed a sigh of relief. "He's alive."
Zach nodded. "Doctors are taking care of him as we speak, but Katelyn-"
"Let's go!" I said immediately, standing up. "Let's go right now!"
"Katelyn…"
I headed for my bedroom just so that I could put on a nicer T-shirt. I decided to leave the sweatpants on. I refixed my ponytail quickly and then walked back out into the living room.
Zach hadn't moved.
"Zach," I said. "Come on, let's go."
"Katelyn…"
"What?" I snapped. I was just angry. Why wasn't he moving? I needed to see my husband. He was finally safe…
Zach sighed as he stood up, shoulders slumped in defeat. "Katelyn, the doctors said that he's in a coma. They don't know if he'll wake up. Ever."